This document provides 10 SEO tips for web developers and designers, including keeping websites flat with content within 4 clicks of the homepage, using keyword-rich URLs and file/folder names, adding semantic HTML tags, avoiding duplicate content through 301 redirects and canonical tags, using appropriate HTTP status codes and meta directives, including XML and HTML sitemaps, and providing sufficient on-page content.

1. 10 SEO Tips Web Developers &
Designers Should Know
Daniel Bianchini
Senior SEO Consultant
@danielbianchini

2. Site Architecture
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3. Site Architecture
 Keep website as flat as possible.
 Keep ALL content within a maximum of 4
clicks from the homepage.
 Ensure cross linking between pages.
Benefits
 Improved indexing
 Improved Page & Domain Authority
(PageRank)
 Improves long tail keywords and phrases.
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4. URLs, Files & Folder Naming Conventions
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5. URL Structure
URLs
Keyword rich.
Static.
Remove file extension.
Hyphen not underscore.
Lowercase.
URL length.
Bad URL: www.example.com/index.php?category=2&page=tents&sortBy=price
Good URL: www.example.com/camping/tents/
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6. Files, Image & Folder Naming Conventions
Files & Folders
Keyword Rich.
Relevant.
Concise.
Images
Descriptive filenames.
Keyword rich filenames.
JPEG or PNG.
Well optimised Images can help improve visibility within the Image Search results.
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7. Semantic HTML
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8. Semantic HTML
Using W3C compliant code is not an SEO must have, but validated code makes crawling
the site easier. HTML tags & attributes you should have.
<title> - Essential.
<Meta Description> - CTR, limited SEO benefit.
<h1> - 1 Per Page, primary keywords.
<h2> - Secondary keywords.
<a title=“”> <img alt=“”> - Descriptive & keyword rich.
Use CSS for Layout.
Remove ALL CSS & JS to minimise number of external files.
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9. Duplicate Content
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10. Duplicate Content Issues
 URL Parameters
www.example.com/jackets.html?colour=red
 Printer friendly pages
www.example.com/print/jackets.html
 Session IDs
www.example.com/jackets.html?sid=123
 Solutions
– 301 redirects.
– Rel=“canonical”.
– Parameter handling in GWT.
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11. Canonical Issues
 Decide on www. Vs non-www; make sure one is 301 redirected to the other:
oxondigital.co.uk  www.oxondigital.co.uk
www.oxondigital.co.uk  oxondigital.co.uk
 Canonicalise URLs by removing file extension.
www.oxondigital.co.uk/index.html --> www.oxondigital.co.uk
www.oxondigital.co.uk/events.html --> www.oxondigital.co.uk/events
 Link to canonicalised URL throughout the website.
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12. Meta Directives
Rel=“canonical”
<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.example.com/jackets/" />
<meta name=“robots” content=“index, nofollow”>
– Index page, don’t follow the links.
<meta name=“robots” content=“noindex, follow”>
– Don’t index the page, follow the links.
– To remove duplicate content but allow the search engine to follow the links.
<meta name=“robots” content=“noindex, nofollow”>
– Don’t index, don’t follow links.
– Used for print pages.
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13. HTTP Status Code
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14. HTTP Status
301 Redirects - permanent redirect.
Use for everything – expired pages, deleted content, canonicalised URLs, etc.
90% SEO benefit passed.
302 Redirects - temporary redirect.
No SEO benefit passed.
404 Page – error page.
Always use 404 pages for errors & not standard website pages.
Do not automatically 302 redirect an error page to homepage.
Customise the 404 page to make it user friendly.
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15. Sitemaps
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16. Sitemaps
Benefits
Helps improve site indexation & speed of indexing.
Webmaster controls the pages in the sitemap.
XML Sitemap
50,000 URLs.
Use sitemap Index for large websites.
HTML Sitemap
100 links per page.
– +100 links split by category – e.g. ecommerce.
Link from every page to help speed up indexation.
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17. Content
 Do not embed content in images.
 Do not make core pages image based.
 Provide room for HTML text on every page.
– Minimum of 350 words per page.
 Allow ability to create landing pages.
 Provide UGC ability.
– Customer Reviews.
– Forums.
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18. Thank You
Daniel Bianchini
http://www.oxondigital.co.uk
http://twitter.com/danielbianchini
http://twitter.com/oxondigital
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19. Image Credits
 HTML & H Tags - http://www.demonslounge.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/matrix_17.jpg
 Site Architecture - http://christine.americasfoundation.net/construction/West%20Elevation
%20Colegio%20La%20Esperanza%20High%20School.jpg
 File & Folder Names - http://drdeclutterblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/pile-of-folders-
proj-1.JPG
 Duplicate Content - http://www.flickr.com/photos/emilley/3796489073/
 Content - http://brogdencastle.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/king_john-11.jpg
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